Research and Its Relevance to You and Your Saddle Fitter

Many of you will follow the work of Dr Russell Mackechnie-Guire of Centaur Biomechanics and be justifiably amazed at the information that he has uncovered through his research, as am I, says Master Saddler and Master Saddler Fitter Kay Hastilow (pictured left).

Although most of us are aware of his work as he generously publishes it on social media, gives many talks, presentations and webinars, he is also part of a team of talented and knowledgeable people similarly involved in research.

Mark Fisher, MS MSF, Dr Jane Nixon MRCVS  and many others are all busy working on different aspects of saddlery – note, no longer just saddle fitting but also girths, bridles, pads and many other items. Mark works regularly with Russell, top class vets and of course, the video operator, as all of this research has to be covered from every angle and to strict protocols. Such research is expensive, so we have to thank Fairfax saddles, in particular Vanessa Fairfax, for really getting the ball rolling with their work on girths, work that has since been continued across their range.

The research is great for design and development, but does this have any advantages for the saddler or saddle fitter working in the front line? You bet it does! Apart from knowing the proven facts of many products, there are many little pieces of information that have been a real help to us.

For example, experienced saddle fitters know that too wide a tree will not work very well, and that horses will not ‘grow into it’ as some have claimed – in fact the result was often the very opposite, but we were a voice crying in the wilderness if we tried to say this. Now we can point to the validated and widely available research done by Russell, Mark and their team that PROVES this. However, we have also found that the odd horse, not all by any means can alter width from the static fitting to the dynamic. Some go wider when working, but some go narrower. Many just stay the same.

It has become glaringly obvious that a horse fitted when static can completely change once ridden, in that a saddle in balance static can tip forward or back once the horse is ridden, often to a considerable degree. I used to fit a good dressage horse where I had to remember to set the saddle at a 30% angle tipping back, because as soon as his rider picked up the reins he would engage his quarters and lift his back so much that the saddle would then be level. If I fitted it level when static, the rider would have been tipped forward so much that she just couldn’t ride him.

Thanks to the research done by all, we now know that the horse’s gait and shape can change when ridden, affecting the fit and balance of the saddle. If your saddle fitter only ‘fits’ your saddle static, you will know that this is a job only half done. Unless there are justifiable reasons for not seeing the horse ridden in the saddle, do not accept this.

You will have seen that I mentioned Dr Jane Nixon in an earlier paragraph , widow of the late and much-lamented Stewart Hastie. He was the veterinary advisor to the Society of Master Saddlers and had been a font of knowledge for the Society when they initiated the qualified saddle fitter course and qualification 25 years ago. I am happy to say that Jane has continued his good work and now advises the SMS on relevant veterinary matters.

However, Jane’s main interest is in soundness, feet, shoeing and the influence of this on gait – an area where she has done a great deal of research. Is this relevant to saddle fitting? Oh yes! Amongst many other things, over long toes can give your horse a sore back! Who knew? And how does this help the saddle fitter? Hands up now. How many people have their horses shod regularly with a space of no more than 4 to 6 weeks between shoeing? Not that many I’m sure, and yet it is so important. Badly balanced feet, different heel depth or a host of other problems can all affect a saddle’s performance. In fact, it is becoming more and more obvious that we really have to look at the horse ‘in the round’, with every aspect of his care, comfort and welfare vitally important as they are all  interlinked.

The research work done by these people has given us so much helpful information and, whilst many of the longer serving fitters knew that back pain was as often as not a symptom rather than a saddle problem per se, we now have the research evidence to which we can refer. In view of this, the SMS has set up a research group who look out areas of saddlery, fitting, design and other areas where research might enhance our knowledge and therefore the comfort and welfare of your horse.

I have just touched the tip of the iceberg with this topic, but at least now you know that much of the information your SMS qualified saddle fitter tells you is research led, verified and available for you to look up yourself. Different days indeed from when you just had to believe what you were told!

___________________________________________________________________________________

Building your knowledge will benefit both your horse and your riding – and help you work more effectively alongside not only your saddle fitter, but also other professionals in your equine support network.

Kay explains; “I have spent more than 50 years working with saddles and fitting them to horses and ponies. Having now having retired from actively fitting saddles, I am focused on sharing what I’ve learnt to help develop knowledge and understanding of what goes into achieving a correct saddle fit. I feel that video enables me to do that much more effectively than would be possible in a book and have produced two videos that I am sure you will find both informative and interesting. Ienjoyed the project immensely and am delighted with feedback from those who have bought my videos.”

Saddle Fitting Know How - For Riders and Trainers is available as two videos for unlimited download or streaming from Kay’s own Vimeo On Demand page for a one-off charge of just £35 per video – less than the cost of a good quality saddlecloth or a lesson from a trainer! 

The first video looks at Conformation and Movement of the Horse, Types of Tree and their Influence, Different Panels and the Position of Girth Straps.

The second video explains How to Assess a Saddle for Soundness, Straightness and Safety, Recognising a Good Fit, the Balance of a Saddle, When Saddles Move and finally, Rider Influences.

These two new videos contain a huge amount of information and together they provide over an hour of expert Saddle Fitting Know How. Certain to become a ‘go-to’ resource, one that you’ll view again and again, Saddle Fitting Know How – For Riders and Trainers uses clever graphics alongside clear explanations and insight into many different aspects of achieving and maintaining a correctly fitting saddle.

Find out more and get access to these unrivalled and informative videos at  

https://vimeo.com/ondemand/saddlefittingknowhow  

Your horse will thank you in more ways than one - and your riding will benefit too!

Click to buy videos for streaming or download

Buying A Saddle Online

 My first reaction is - DON’T!

A properly qualified saddle fitter (who will have spent a minimum of 3 years training before qualifying if they are Society of Master Saddlers Qualified fitters), will be looking at many aspects of you, your horse and several factors within the saddle before even trying anything on to your horse. Many of these factors you will be totally unaware of.

Often, a trainer will like a particular make of saddle and recommend it to all their clients. Now the trainer may be young, male, tall, slim and athletic. Sadly, many of their clients will not tick many of these boxes.  The saddle that he finds ‘perfect’ may be totally impossible for you to ride in. Also, some trainers are given a commission on any saddle that they sell. You can’t blame them for encouraging their clients to purchase their recommended brand of saddle as it is hard enough to make a living as a trainer, but they are qualified trainers, NOT saddle fitters and the saddle that they ‘fit’ may well be totally wrong for horse and/ or rider. I’m afraid that, contrary to popular belief, being the best trainer in the world does not qualify you to fit saddles.

Another method popularly used by customers who want to buy on line is to have a saddle fitter out, get them to fit a saddle, say that they ‘will think about it’ and then go and buy it on line. Well, I think that’s rather silly. Saddles are individually made. Even the ‘mass produced’ ones are hand finished to some extent and all will fit a little bit differently. The fitter will sell you the saddle that they have fitted, or, if you need something just a little bit different, or it is a ‘bespoke’ saddle made specifically for your horse, they should come out and fit the new saddle to your horse to conclude the sale. They should also take some responsibility for it after the sale, so that if you have problems, they should sort it out for you. Many will also include a ‘free check and lift’ for the saddle after 6 to 8 weeks, when the saddle has settled. If you buy a similar saddle on line to the one you had fitted, there is no guarantee that it will be as good a fit as the one you originally tried. You will also have to pay for a call out and flock once the saddle settles, which will almost certainly cost you more than you saved by buying on line. 

There are also factors such as happened with me recently. The customer, I know, reads this post but I am sure that they will not mind me telling the tale. They have just bought a new horse and asked me to come and fit it. They wanted either a Thorowgood T8 or a Kent and Masters Compact GP. I didn’t have what was wanted, but a colleague not too far away had the required saddle. I checked the width and told them which bar to have with it. I arranged to pop back and check the fit, but was told on the morning that it wasn’t necessary as they had tried it on and it was fine. Also, they said it needed a wider bar than I had said, as it sat up too high. I insisted on coming to check and guess what! Having ridden in the saddle, it had dropped and sure enough, needed the bar that I had said. Also, having changed the bar and girthed the saddle up, the customer said “oh, You are using the back 2 straps. I used the first and third.” Now, with Thorowgood and Kent and Masters GP saddles, the first strap is a point strap. You would use this if the conformation of the horse drives the saddle forward or back, but not on most horses. The saddle had dropped low at the front and the back was lifting and hitting the rider’s bottom with every stride. With the correct bar, and using the right straps the saddle was balanced and stable. And this customer is far from being inexperienced! Sometimes, you need our expertise.

If you are looking to buy second hand saddles on line - beware! If I have fitted for someone and their old saddle is faulty, as in not straight, the panels are uneven, the flock is very poor or the tree is ‘suspect’, or even broken, many will not accept my advice to burn it to save another horse from pain or discomfort. Rather, they want to get ‘something for it’, so I tell them to sell it on ebay or gumtree. Buyer beware! Yes, you can send it back, but it’s not always just that straightforward. We hear many stories of sellers refusing to take goods back as they were damaged.  Try proving differently! 

You may buy a saddle on line and ask a fitter to come and check the fit, but I refuse to do this. Not because I want to sell one of my own saddles as many think, but rather, it is horrible to arrive at a yard to fit a saddle that the client has purchased, only to see straight away that there is no way in a month of Sundays’ that the saddle they have bought is ever going to fit their horse. Now, the fitter may have driven many miles and booked an hour or so to do your fitting. Almost certainly, if they are a good fitter, they will have a 4 to 6 week wait for a slot, but here they are knowing that the end result will not be what the client wants. Do you just say “sorry, it won’t fit” and drive away without charge, which will leave you considerably out of pocket or go through the motions of a fit and charge for it, still ending up saying that the saddle is unsuitable and still having a disgruntled customer who thinks you just want to sell one of your own saddles. In one case, I was told to “make it fit by squeezing the tree ”. Now, tree squeezers, if used properly can improve the fit of a saddle by bringing it in or out by up to one width fitting maximum, but this is only possible if the tree is of the correct shape and style for the horse in question. Also, there is always a risk that the tree can break, and who is going to take responsibility for that? In this case, the client had bought a new saddle on line, it was totally the wrong tree for the horse, apart from being extra wide when the animal needed a medium. I was roundly abused for refusing to squeeze it in. They then asked who they could go to to squeeze the tree, having chosen to ignore the fact that you can’t squeeze a tree in by that much. 

You can see why now I just say “sorry, no”. Perhaps if you have had this response from a saddle fitter in the past, you might now understand why. 

Find out more from Kay Hastilow’s series of expert videos available online - visit www.khsaddlery.co.uk/educational.html